incorporating options to minimize the environmental footprints of a cleanup
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- May 17 town hall meeting at Brownfields 2013 conference in Atlanta: ASTM Greener Cleanup and Other Tools - Who Can Use Them and How
- Engineering issue paper on sustainable materials management in site cleanup
- New NREL report on analyzing economic and environmental viability of waste-to-energy technology for site-specific optimization of renewable energy options
- News archives...
- June 5-7 inaugural workshop on Applications of Nanotechnology for Safe and Sustainable Environmental Remediations in Hammond, LA
- June 6 CLU-IN webinar, NARPM Presents...RECs, Renewables and Remediation
- More on the calendar...
Alternative Energy: From a Toxic Past to a Renewable Future
describes opportunities for clean and renewable energy projects on contaminated lands. This 5-minute video developed by the U.S. EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative highlights renewable energy projects at the Rose Township Dump Superfund Site in Michigan; Lowry Landfill Superfund Site in Colorado; Molycorp Inc. Superfund Site in New Mexico; and the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Site in California.
Cleanup at the California Gulch Superfund Site in Leadville, Colorado, involves a green remediation strategy focused on minimizing excavation and offsite disposal of soil contaminated by past mining activities, selecting soil amendments comprising industrial byproducts, minimizing disturbance of soil and vegetation, maximizing use of onsite materials to stabilize river banks, and integrating remediation processes with anticipated site reuse. *Updated*
A groundwater treatment building for the Lawrence Aviation Industries NPL site in Port Jefferson Station, NY, benefits from geothermal energy and other green building aspects.
Groundwater investigations at the Massachusetts Military Reservation at Cape Cod, MA, included sampling of nearby cranberry bogs to assure protection of ecosystem services.
Wind turbines at the former St. Croix Alumina Plant in St. Croix, VI, drive compressed air into hydraulic skimming pumps used to recover petroleum product for reuse.
Four gradient-driven constructed wetlands populated by cattails or pondweed treat contaminated groundwater at the Apache Nitrogen Products, Inc., NPL site in Benson, AZ.
Treatment of landfill gas collected through 460 gas extraction wells relied on microturbines at the Operating Industries, Inc. Landfill NPL site in Monterey Park, CA.
Use of native plants above the landfill cover at the Barskdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, LA, minimizes maintenance activities while helping to avoid erosion and control stormwater runoff.
GR Best Management Practices
- An Introduction (PDF) (2 pp, 114K)
- Excavation and Surface Restoration (PDF) (4 pp, 238K)
- Site Investigation (PDF) (4 pp, 179K)
- Pump and Treat Technologies (PDF) (8 pp, 225K)
- Bioremediation (PDF) (4 pp, 176K)
- Soil Vapor Extraction & Air Sparging (PDF) (4 pp, 131K)
- Clean Fuel & Emission Technologies for Site Cleanup (PDF) (10 pp, 354K)
- Integrating Renewable Energy into Site Cleanup (PDF) (8 pp, 335K)
- Sites with Leaking Underground Storage Tank Systems (PDF) (6 pp, 448K)
- Landfill Cover Systems & Energy Production (PDF) (6 pp, 465K)
- Overview of EPA's Methodology to Address the Environmental Footprint of Site Cleanup (PDF) (2 pp, 176K)
- Mining Sites (PDF) (6 pp, 535K)
- Implementing In Situ Thermal Technologies (PDF) (6 pp, 249K)
Upcoming Topics (PDF) (1 pg, 238K)
GR Technology Primer (PDF) (56 pp, 814K):
Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites
A Citizen's Guide to Greener Cleanups (PDF) (2 pp, 1.4MB)
- EPA Strategic Plan, FY 2011-2015 Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development
- ... As part of this effort, EPA's Superfund program will implement its green remediation strategy to reduce the energy, water, and materials used during site cleanups while ensuring that protective remedies are implemented.
EPA's Methodology for Understanding and Reducing a Project's Environmental Footprint uses 21 metrics and a seven-step process to quantify energy, air, water, and materials & waste comprising the environmental footprint of a remedy.
Aligning with National Goals
Learn about executive orders, requirements, and guidance on energy and water management, green purchasing, and environmental stewardship
Questions and comments about EPA's green remediation efforts may be forwarded to:
Carlos Pachon, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation.
